Baseball briefs

Pittsburgh -- Brian Giles was traded Tuesday by the Pirates to San Diego in a long-rumored deal that sent left-hander Oliver Perez, outfielder Jason Bay and a player to be named to Pittsburgh.

Perez, a 22-year-old starter who is 4-7 with a 5.38 ERA with San Diego, and Bay, currently with Triple-A Portland, are expected to join the Pirates in time for tonight's game against Florida.

The deal, in the planning stages before the deadline for trading without waivers July 31, initially would have sent outfielder Giles and catcher Jason Kendall to the Padres for Perez, outfielder Xavier Nady and at least one other player.

Yankees option Weaver, cut reliever Orosco

New York -- Jeff Weaver and Jesse Orosco, standing in adjacent lockers, packed up their equipment bags Tuesday. Weaver plans to return to the New York Yankees next week. Orosco does not.

Carefully manipulating their roster to get ready for the postseason, the Yankees optioned Weaver to Class A Tampa of the Florida State League and designated Orosco for assignment.

The moves cleared space for left-handers Gabe White, activated from the disabled list, and Felix Heredia, who reported one day after he was claimed on waivers from Cincinnati.

"It's hard for me to comprehend and understand," Weaver said. "Hopefully, this will be the change that I need."

New York plans to make at least one more change by Sunday, the deadline for postseason roster eligibility. Jose Contreras is likely to be optioned to the minors and infielder Erick Almonte recalled from Triple-A Columbus.